The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-12-02
VARIETIES OF NDSnAkInC.
How the Custom FIRST orisinated-Pecu-
liarities of Different People.


Did you ever consider how people
! first began TO shake hands No?, Well
| then, SIT down here and III tell Won
| what think about it, for l have given
| this sub 5ect some study" said a penrle-
! man to reporter. NY opinion Is that
! in early and Oarbarous times. when
! every savage or semi savage was his own
| law-.lyer, Ju Ice, soldier and policeman.
! ana had 10 watch over his own safety. in
| default OF al other protection. when two
| trends or acquaintance, ortwo strangers
| desiring - he friends or acquaintauces
| wnen they chanced to meet, offered each
| to the other the right hand alike of
| ofiense and defense - the hand that
| wle.ds the sword. the dagger. the club.
! the t0uahIWk or other weapon OF war.
Zach did this 10 show that the hand was
empty and that neither war nor trelcbarv
was intended. man cannot well stab
another while he is engaged in the act Of
shaking hands with him, unless he be
douDle-dyed traitor and villain and
strives 10 aim cONardly blow with the
teit while giving the right and pretend
Ing 10 be on good terms with him.
Did you ever observe that the ladies
never shake hands with the cordialitv
o! men unless it be with each other
The reason IS obvious. 1t Is Tor them
=" A-HAIf| 4aD-4isists I4DN 10 give il. new
cannot be expected TO show to persons OF
the her sex a warmth OF greeting which
might be mlslnterpreted unless such
persons are very closely related. in which
cases handshakIng IS not needed and the
lips do more agreeable duty.
Every man shakes hands according
TO hIs nature, whether it be timid or
aggressive, proud or humble, courteous
or churllsh, vulgar or refined. There IS
q "a HHnN NT~~ 1A /. 4
tell You the kind OF handshake l hate
and that IS one of the what I call the
Jolly gJoI fellow Landshakes One Of
those fellows Will grasp your hand,
squeeze II until the tears run down your
cheek and then, using your arm in the
same manner as 4 pump handle viii 20
on shaking all the time he is talking 10
YOU letting It rest easy for moment or
so, with the exception of a little sDasmod-
ic shake now and again, only. however.
10 start It afresh. The first time you
Imagine he IS doing it because he is
extremely glad TO see you, but when YOU
gee him manifest the same cordialitv
toward people whom he met for the first
time and toward those with whom he has
been Intimate for years you know he is
humbug or IS, at any rate, acting from
habit But Of all the men 10 be avoided
the man who squeezes your hand in an
eNcruclating manner on 4 false preteuse
Is the worst. He dislocates your Joints
10 convince you that he regarl5 YOU
highly, and as soon as You are ont OF
sight iorg Is you or thinks that YOU are
no great shakes after all or, worse still,
abuses YOU behind your back.
Another and even more oIious kind
OF handshaker Is he who offers YOU his
hand, but VIII not permit YOU to get fair
hold OF it. To be treated with cool con
tempt OF supercilious scorn which su h 4
mode o. salGtatlOn implies Is worse than
not 70 BE- saiuted at all. II hands are to
be shaken let il be done properly
another species OF handsLaker I d.t 81
Il the man who offers YOU one finger in
stead OF five, as much as 10 say, 4 am
either too preocCupied myself or think
too title ot YOU TO give you my whole
hand. With such man the interchange
OF any but the barest and scaniiest
courtesy IS rendered difficult bv any one
who has a particle OF seli-respecc.
Yet another Objectionable man IS the
one that shOves out his left hand in greet
ing you. That IS discOurteOus, sometimes
intentional and sometimes not, but it Is
an act that no true gentleman would
commit There IS really no reason why
II should be more discOurteous than 10
kiss the left cheek instead Of the right
but doubtless the custom that makes the
right hand imperative in all sincere salu-
talOAs dates from those early times when
handshaking first began, and the hand
that shook or was shaken in friendship
was OF necessity weapouless. The poor
LETT hand that one would think ought TO
be OF as much value and strength as the
right, Just az the lett foot or leg is as
strong as the right foot or leg, because !
they are both used equal, has fallen into
disrepute as well as into comparative dis
use, until it has become an accepted !
phrase to say OF any proceedings that Is
lnaUspiciOus, artiul, sly or secretly mali /
cious, that it Is 'sinister'-that it IS lett
handed.
Il do not" he continued, "object to |
shake hands on certain occasions, but it |
is this perpetual shake, shake, with |
everybody that l object to. 1t IS pleas |
ant to touch the hand OF an hon.s man |
or woman, and 10 be on such terms OF |
cquaintanceship with either of these |
masterpieces OF creation as 70 Justify you |
in the thought that you are their equal. 4
Even TO grasp the paw OF an intelligent /
dog, who holds it up for you to shake on |
being asked 10 do so, IS something pleas /
ant. For the dog unlike some men, |
would scorn TO give his paw to one in /.
whose eve and in whose face he, by hs |
fine instinct in some respect the equal if |
not the superior OF reason, discovered |
treachery or evil. As l have said, it is /
the continued handskalling with Tom,
Dick and Harry that ought TO be put
stop to.